Machine for sewing moccasin type shoes



Feb. 11, 1947. F. 'AsHvyQRTH `2,415,401

MACHINE FOR SEWINGl MOCCASIN TYPE SHOES Feb- 11, 1947. F. AsHwoRTH MACHINE FOR SEWING MOCCASIN TYPEv SHOES Filed Nov. 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1947 MACHINE Fon sEwNG MoooAsiN TYPE sHoEs Fred Ashworth, Wenham, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 5, 1945, Serial No. 626,634

7 Claims.

f The present invention relates to machines par- 'ticularly designed for use in sewing the side piece or vamp and the top piece or tongue on an imitation moccasin or moccasin type of shoe. Machines for sewing moccasin seams of the general nature of the present invention are illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent to the present inventor, No. 1,975,914, granted October 9, 1934, and No. 2,366,703, granted January 9, 1945.

Angular arrangement of moccasin pieces being operated upon has been found in practice to be the most desirable and effective possible, while joining the edges for temporary assembly purposes as well as for inserting a permanent seam.

In the machine of Patent No, 1,975,914, the work support is therefore formed with angularly disposed surfaces shaped to receive matin-g edges of a moccasin top piece and vamp arranged to cause stitches inserted by the machine to pass through bevel faces on the moccasin pieces along In the machine of the later patent, No.:`

2,366,703, the moccasin pieces are presented to the machine without being temporarily secured together, and the edge faces are guided into proper registry by engagement with a centering iin projecting from the apex formed between the angularly disposed work engaging surfaces of the work support. However, the work engaging surfaces of the work support and the fin form relatively sharp crevices into which the edges on the moccasin pieces may enter, thus providing an opportunity for the extreme edges of the pieces to become wedged Within the crevices in such a way as to impede work feed and to reduce the effectiveness of the machine.

On account of the relation of the angle on the bevel faces of the moccasin pieces, it is necessary to change the location of the work support in the machine of the patent when the thickness of the work is increased or decreased in order to insure that the seam will be inserted at the shoulder formed by the bevel on the pieces. If the seam is not so inserted, feather edges on the pieces may gap or the full strength of the pieces will not be utilized along the seam line. While such change in position of the work support is .particularly necessary with the use of bevel edges onmoccasin pieces cf different thicknesses, it also is desirable with the use of partially beveled or rectangular unbeveled edges for similar reasons. Such change in position of the work support requires careful adjustments of the patented machine and frequently it is diflicult to obtain satisfactory results.

Objects of the present invention are to simplify and improve the operation of the machine disclosed in inventors Patent No. 2,366,703 in sucha way that moccasin pieces having their edges formed with any desired contour, whether beveled or otherwise, may be assembled and sewed with such uniformity and reliability that the machine will be capable of performing sewing operations on a reliable commercial basis. A further object is to provide a moccasin assembling and sewing machine in which the work supporting and clamping parts may readily be adjusted for varying thicknesses and qualities of material in the moccasin pieces operated upon without the necessity of exercising special skill and ability on the part of the machine operator.

In accordance with the fore mentioned and other objects, the present invention consists in the provision of interconnected movable gage means on the work support in a moccasin seam sewing machine of the assembling and sewing type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,366,703, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument and an edge centering iin in which the gage means is disposed at opposite sides of the centering fin to enable the distances at which the edges of both moccasin pieces are guided from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument, to be varied conveniently together in proportion to the thickness of the moccasin pieces and the nature of the contour along the edges.

The invention. as hereinafter disclosed is illustrated in two forms, one in which the gage means comprises a slotted member pivotally mounted at' one end on the work support remote from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument, with the centering iin entering the slot of the member, and the other in which a number of movable gage plates are similarly mounted on the work support at opposite sides of the centering iin and common adjusting means is provided for changing the positions of the gage plates together for the purposes stated. One advantage of employing gage plates in place of a slotted member is in the possibility of inserting or removing plates to increase or decrease the size and shape of the space adjacent to the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the' work support. Also, by reason of its adjustability, the gage member or plates may be' shifted to bring the point of operation of the penetrating instrument exactly in the proper relationship to the shoulder formed between the bevel faces of the moccasin piecesand the inner surfaces thereof.

Furthermore, when the machine is utilized both to assemble and to sew the parts without requiring a preliminary cementing operation, it

is. unnecessary to employ the moccasin Ypieces with bevel faces terminating in a feather' edge,

and a satisfactory seam may be inserted with shape of the gage member must be changed byY removal and substitution of one with the proper contour. Such a substitution may. readily be accomplished when a movable gage member is employed merely by disassembling the gage member from its mounting on the work' support without changing the position or adjustment of the work support itself.

These and other features of the invention consist of novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will readily be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

in which Fig.`1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the working mechanism for a moccasin seam sewing machine embodying the several features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the work support and presser together with a portion of a moccasin-typel shoe upper, illustrating the relationship of the parts during sewing operations;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the work support and adjacent parts illustrated in Fig. 2, taken during work feed;

Fig. 4 is an end View of the work engaging surfaces at the tip of the presser;

Fig. 5 is a `partial sectional view in side elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 3, taken while the work is clamped in position as during stitch formation;

Fig. 6 is a detail plan View, looking from above the work support and presser tip and illustrating the manner of operation of the parts while assembling and sewing the toe portion of a moccasin type shoe upper, shown partly in section;

'Fig 7 is a view in front elevation of the upper portion of the work support;

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view of the work support, taken along the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a side sectional view of the work support, taken along the line IX-IX of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a similarview of the work support with a gage member of slightly different construction for operating upon moccasin pieces provided with partially beveled edges;

Fig. 11 is a similar view of the work support having a gage member formed to iit the contour along the edges of the moccasin pieces cut with unbeveled rectangular edges;

Fig. 12 is a detail plan View of the gage member illustrated in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a sectional side View of the upper portion of a work support provided with a series of separate plates between which the centering fin is mounted in place of the regular slotted member of Figs. 7 to 12, inclusive; and

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the gage plate assemblage.

The illustrated machine in its construction and mode of operation is similar except as hereinafter described to those of the patents above referred to. The machine is equipped with a curved hook needle 2, a curved work penetrating awl 4, a work support 6, a horn 8 having a presser secured thereto, a rotary shuttle or loop taker l0 which carries loops of needle thread over a locking thread case contained therein, and other stitch forming and thread handling devices Y of the usual form.

Where machines such as disclosed in the patents referred to are employed, the edges of the top piece and vamp which are to be united are `beveled at an angle approximating 30 so that, when bevel faces 421 and i4 thereon are brought into registry (see Figs. 3 and 5), an acute angle will be formed between the outer surfaces of the pieces along the edges of approximately 60, the stitches passing through the inner shoulder along the bevels and intersecting the faces along the shoulder line indicated at i6 in Fig. 6. Accordingly, the work support is provided with surfaces i8 and 2d disposed in a corresponding angular relation and, to engage and guide the bevel faces of the moccasin pieces into accurate registry, the work support carries a centering fin 22 intersecting the angle between the work engaging surfaces of the work support and extending in the direction of feed.

The presser of the present machine has ribbed work engaging surfaces disposed at the same angle as those of the work engaging surfaces on the work support and is provided with a divided tip, the upper section 24 of which acts with a yielding pressure on the Vamp of the moccasin, indicated at 25, and the lower section 26 of which is provided with a surface acting separately on the top piece of the moccasin, indicated at 2, at a location along the seam line with reference to the direction of feed in advance only of the needle and awl paths. For this purpose, the two tip sections are cut away at 23 and 30 respectively (Fig. `i) opposite the point of operation of the needle and awl and in the direction of feed beyond the point of sewing operations.

The mechanism for actuating the presser toward and from the work support during each sewing cycle is the same as that employed in the machine of the patent above identified and consists brieiiy of a link 32 connecting the horn above its fulcrurn with a floating lever 3d, and a presser foot lock 35 connected to one point on the floating lever and actuated by a cam lever 38 engaging a cam Se on a sewing shaft :iii of the machine. The presser is moved toward and from the work While the lock serves as a ulcrum for the floating lever to transfer the movement imparted to the floating lever by a cam actuated lever 42 adjustably connected to the floating lever by a link 44.

In operating the patented machine, it has been found that there is a tendency for the presser to crowd the extreme edges of the moccasin parts so far into the crevices between the work engaging surfaces of the work support and the centering iin that the edges may become wedged within the crevices. Wedging the edges in the crevices of the work support in this way places an excessive burden upon the work feeding awl in moving the moccasin pieces from one sewing position to another between stitches and may prevent proper spacing of the stitches.

The work support of the present machine is similar in certain respects to that in the patented machine and comprises the main portion 3 tted to receive a clamping screw il@ passing loosely through an enlarged opening in the shank of the portion E and into threaded engagement with the frame of the machine. A pin i8 also is mounted in the machine frame and enters a suitable slot in the shank of the work support portion 6 to maintain the work support in proper position. The work support is provided with a cap plate 50 clamped to the main work support portion 6 by screws 52 (see Fig. 6) and locating pins 54 passing through the respective parts.

Between the cap plate and the main portion of the work support of the patented machine are disposed a number of spacing plates to hold the cap plate at a suitable distance from the main work support portion, thus enabling the edges of the moccasin pieces to enter the angle of the work engaging surfaces beyond the needle and awl receiving openings similar to those indicated at 55 of the present illustrated work support (see particularly Fig. 7). The edges of the spacing plates in the machine of Patent No. 2,366,703 are beveled to merge with the angle of the work engaging surfaces on the work support and form with the centering iin of that machine sharp apeXes, thus providing an opportunity for the feathered edges of the moccasin pieces to become wedged therein. Under some conditions of operation, with certain qualities of material, sharp apeXes in the work support are not objectionable and even may be advantageous. However, when the edges of the moccasin pieces are only partially beveled, sharp apexes are not needed to fit the contour of the moccasin edges to best advantage. Even with the edges of the moccasin pieces beveled always to the same extent, variations in thickness of the material may make it desirable to insert the seam at different proportionate distances from the extreme edges of the pieces in order to cause the stitches to intersect the bevel faces along the shoulder between the bevel faces and the inner surfaces of the moccasin pieces.

In the patented machine, the only provision for making adjustments for variations in thickness of material is in loosening the work support clamping screw similar to that indicated at l in the present drawings and moving the support bodily along the frame of the machine within the limits permitted by the opening in the support through which the screw passes. It will be noted, however, that the work support is clamped to the machine frame along a surface inclined with respect to the plane of the centering fin 22. Accordingly, each time the work support is adjusted along the surface of the frame to which it is clamped, it is raised and lowered somewhat and therefore the position of the horn must be readjusted in order that the tip of the horn will enter accurately between the work engaging surfaces of the work support.

' To obviate these difficulties and to simplify the manner of varying the distance at which the edges of both moccasin pieces are guided from the point of operation of the needle and awl, according to a novel feature of the present invention, interconnected gage means are provided on the work support at opposite sides of the centering fin 22 mounted for movement toward and from the point of needle operation in a direction parallel to the n and, in one form of the invention, the spacing plates are entirely eliminated. By providing movable gage means, it is no longer necessary to shift the position of the entire work support bodily on the frame of the machine and substitution of other gage means having guiding surfaces of other shapes is simplified.

Referring more particularly to Figs. '7 to 12, inelusive, the illustrated gage means comprises a bar slotted at 51 along its right end throughout its Width and with its left end pivotally mounted along the line of feed at one side and remote from the point of operation of the needle common adjusting means for all the plates.

and awl on a removable headed stud 6B passing through alined openings in lugs on the main work support portion 6 and the cap plate 5d. Along the apex of the angle between the work engaging surface of the work support 6 and cap plate 50 the surfaces are cut away to receive the bar, and the slot in the bar enables the centering fin to pass through into engagement with the faces of the moccasin pieces. At the right end of the bar, above and below the slot 5l, forked ends of the bar engage an eccentric pin S2 projecting downwardly from a bolt 6d clamped within a vertical passage formed in a lug portion of the cap plate. The arrangement is such that, when a clamp nut 66 on the bolt 64 is loosened, a screw driver may be engaged with the slotted upper end of the bolt and the bolt rotated to give a suitable adjustment to the gage bar toward or from the sewing point in t'he machine. Upon removal of the pivot stud 66, the gage bar 53 may be readily disengaged from the eccentric pin 62 and a new bar of different shape quickly substituted.

In one form of the gage bar 58 it is shaped above and below the centering iin with work engaging surfaces in part parallel to and at the same angle to each otherv as those on the work support. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the angularly disposed work engaging surfaces on the bar terminate in shoulders along a line close to the centering n in such a way that sharp apexes are avoided, thus avoiding any possibility of wedging the moccasin pieces. If the moccasin pieces operated upon are formed with partially beveled edges, the shoulder surfaces of the gage bar are undercut in close proximity to the centering n to fit the edges of the pieces, as ndicated at 68 in Fig. 10. Where the edges of the moccasin pieces are cut with unbeveled` rectangular edges and sewed in this form, the bar is shaped opposite the point of sewing operations with squared edges, as indicated in Fig. 11 and 12.

In another form of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14, spacing plates somewhat similar to those of the prior patented machine are employed between the main work sup# port portion 6 and the cap plate 59. As indicated at 10, these plates are shaped with individually squared work engaging edges, but the outer plates are of slightly greater width to overlap the work engaging edges of the inner plates, thus conforming generally to the angular contour along the outer edges of the moccasin pieces operated upon without forming sharp apexes with the centering fin. As in the first-described form of the invention, the spacing plates 'Eil are mounted for movement toward and from the sewing point at their left ends on one of the screws 52 (see Fig. 14) instead of having openings tting closely with the clamp screw 52 and the pins 54 at the right between the work support parts, the plates are cut away sufficiently surrounding the other clamp screw and pins to :permit sufficient adjusting movement of the plates. f

To adjust the spacing plates 10, the right end of each plate is forked to embrace the eccentric pin 62 of the bolt 64 so that the pin serves as In making adjustments in the positions of the plates '50 toward and from the sewing point, it is necessary to loosen both clamp screws 52 some-1 what. With the clamp screws loosened, suitable adjustments may be made in the plates and the screws thereafter tightened, although satisfactory test sewing operations can be performed while the clamp screws are still loosened, the loeating pins 54 serving to maintain proper alinement of the cap plate 50 with the main portion 6 of the work support at al1 times.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been disclosed, what is claimed is l. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp of a moccasin type shoe, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed bythe angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering iin on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction of feed between the edges of the moccasin pieces, in combination with interconnected movable gage means on the work support at opposite sides of the centering fin to enable the distances at which the edges of both moccasin pieces are guided from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument to be varied conveniently together in proportion to the thickness of the m'occasin pieces.

2. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp of a moccasin type shoe, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering nn on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction oi' feed between the edges oi the moccasin pieces, in combination with a siotted gage member pivotally mounted at one end on the work support remote from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument with the oentering fin entering the slot thereof, and means for shifting the other end of the gage member to enable the distances at which both edges oi the moccasin pieces are guided from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument to be varied together conveniently.

3. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp of a inoccasin type' shoe, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering n on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction of feed between the edges of the mossasin pieces, in combination with movable gage piates mounted on the work support at opposite sides of the centering rin and common adjusting means for changing the positions of the gage plates together to enable the distances at which the edges of both moccasin pieces operated upon are guided from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument to be varied conveniently.

4. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp of a moccasin type shoe, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angleto each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering n on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction of feed between the edges of the moccasin pieces, in combination with a slotted gage member pivotally mounted at one end on the work support along the line of feed at one side of the point of operation of the work penetrating instrument with the centering iin entering the slot of the gage member, and an eccentric stud mounted on the work support engaging the gage member at its other end to enable the distances at which both edges of the moccasin pieces operated upon are guided from the point of operation of the penetrating instrument to be varied together conveniently.

5. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp of a moccasin type shoe, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle t-o each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering iin on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction of feed between the edges of the moccasin pieces, in combination with readily adjustable slotted gage means on the work support at opposite sides of the centering iin shaped with work engaging surfaces at the same angle to each other as the work engaging surfaces of the work support to t the contour along the edges of moccasin pieces which are beveled to a sharp feather.

5. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp ci a moccasin type 'sho-e, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering iin on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction of feed between the edges of the moccasin pieces, in combination with readily adjustable slotted gage means on the work support at opposite sides of the centering fin shaped with work engaging surfaces partly disposed at the same angle to each other as the work engaging surfaces of the work support and partly with undercut shoulders shaped to iit the contour along the edges of moccasin pieces which are partially beveled.

7. A machine for sewing the top or tongue piece and vamp of a moccasin type shoe, having stitch forming devices including a work penetrating instrument, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, a presser acting on the pieces to crowd the edges into the apex formed by the angularly disposed surfaces of the work support, and a centering n on the work support opposite the point of operation of the penetrating instrument extending in the direction of feed between the edges of the moccasin pieces, in combination with readily adjustable slotted gage means on the work s ppc-rt at opposite sides of the centering fin shaped with squared work engaging surfaces to t the contour along the edges of mo-ccasin pieces which have rectangular edges.

FRED ASHWORTH. 

